The Spanish Princess
The Spanish Princess is a British-American historical period drama television miniseries developed by Emma Frost and Matthew Graham for Starz. It is based on the novels The Constant Princess and The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory and it is a sequel to the miniseries The White Queen and The White Princess. The series premiered on May 5, 2019, with an initial eight episode order. On June 3, 2019, Starz ordered an additional eight episodes to premiere in 2020 and conclude the story. Premise Teenaged princess Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Spanish rulers Isabella and Ferdinand, finally travels to England, to meet her husband by proxy, Arthur, Prince of Wales, heir apparent of Henry VII, King of England, to whom she has been betrothed since she was a child. Unwelcome by some, she and her diverse court, including her lady-in-waiting Lina, a Sub-Saharan African, struggled to adapt to English customs. She is horrified to learn that it is Arthur's younger brother, the arrogant Harry, Duke of York, who is the author of the romantic correspondence she has received. When Arthur dies suddenly, her destiny as the one who will bring peace between Spain and England seems in doubt, until she sets her sights on Prince Harry. Cast Main *Alicia Borrachero as Queen Isabella of Castile *Laura Carmichael as Margaret "Maggie" Pole *Daniel Cerqueira as De Fuensalida, the Spanish ambassador to England *Aaron Cobham as Oviedo, one of Catherine of Aragon's guards *Elliot Cowan as King Henry VII of England *Philip Cumbus as Thomas Wolsey *Alba Galocha as Joanna, Queen of Castile *Georgie Henley as Margaret "Meg" Tudor *Charlotte Hope as Catherine of Aragon and later, Queen Catherine of England *Angus Imrie as Arthur, Prince of Wales *Stephanie Levi-John as Lina de Cardonnes, a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon *Alan McKenna as Sir Richard Pole *Alexandra Moen as Elizabeth of York *Ruairi O'Connor as Prince Harry, Duke of York and later, King Henry VIII of England *Nadia Parkes as Rosa de Vargas, a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon *Richard Pepper as Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire *Jordan Renzo as Charles "Charlie" Brandon *Olly Rix as Edward Stafford *Harriet Walter as Margaret Beaufort Recurring *Mamadou Doumbia as John Blanke *Patrick Gibson as Richard of York *Isla Merrick-Lawless as Princess Mary *Morgan Jones as Edmund Dudley *Nick Barber as Edmund de la Pole *Mimi De Winton as Ursula Pole *Arthur Bateman as Reggie Pole *Matt Carr as Henry Pole *Philip McGinley as George Neville Guest *Kenneth Cranham as Bishop John Morton *Luka Perros as Christopher Columbus *Norman Bowman as William Dunbar *Philip Andrew as Philip I of Castile *Luke Mullins as William Compton Episode List Part 1 *Ep.1 - "The New World" - May 5, 2019 **'October - November 1501:' Catherine arrives in England. When she meets Arthur, Prince of Wales, Catherine is disappointed that he isn't as romantic in person as he was in his letters. She later learns it was Arthur's younger brother, Harry, who exchanged letters with her. Elizabeth, the queen, tells Catherine that the brother of her cousin, Maggie Pole, was beheaded because Catherine's mother, Isabella, would only pledge Catherine's hand in marriage if there were no other claimants to England's throne. As Harry walks Catherine to the altar on her wedding day, he admits that he initially exchanged letters with her to hurt Arthur, but later found that her letters excited him. *Ep.2 - "Fever Dream" - May 12, 2019 **'November 1501 – April 1502:' After the wedding, Arthur and Catherine stay in Henry's household for a short time. Arthur and Harry's sister Margaret learns that Henry has offered her hand in marriage to James IV of Scotland to form another alliance for England. Arthur and Catherine set off for Wales to set-up their own household, and become closer as they learn more about each other. Maggie Pole and her family accompany them. Arthur becomes gravely ill. Henry and Elizabeth race to Wales but arrive too late. Henry informs Catherine she will return to London and stay in the royal household until they know if she is with child. *Ep.3 - "An Audacious Plan" - May 19, 2019 **'April 1502 – February 1503:' Catherine learns that Isabella is arranging another alliance marriage. Catherine hides her true condition to bide her time in England, which would solve many problems for her, her maid, Lina, and her guard, Oviedo. Catherine tells Lina, and later Harry, that her marriage to Arthur was never consummated. Harry proposes and asks Henry to request a papal dispensation so he and Catherine can marry. Elizabeth goes into labor. After the difficult stillbirth, she has a vision that the Tudor line will end if Harry and Catherine marry and begs Henry to prevent the marriage. As Catherine writes to Isabella for her blessing to marry Harry, mourning bells begin peal for Elizabeth. *Ep.4 - "The Battle for Harry" - May 26, 2019 **'March 1503:' Edmund de la Pole, the leading Yorkist claimant to the throne and a cousin of both the late queen and Maggie Pole, is plotting to overthrow Henry. Henry tells Lady Beaufort that Harry wants to marry Catherine. She confronts Catherine about her alleged virginity then orders her to move out of the palace. Lady Beaufort bans Maggie from court when Maggie states Catherine may be telling the truth. Henry learns Maximilian I is protecting Edmund de la Pole. Henry sets his grief aside to see Margaret off as she departs for Scotland to marry. He hosts a feast to celebrate the future and invites Catherine. Henry makes an announcement that indirectly fulfills the late queen's dying wish: a royal marriage between himself and Catherine. *Ep.5 - "Heart Versus Duty" - June 2, 2019 **'Late 1503 – Late 1505:' Catherine is torn between her duty to marry Henry and her desire to marry Harry. Margaret arrives in Scotland and is pleasantly surprised by her betrothed. Harry tells Lady Beaufort, and later Catherine, that if Catherine wants to marry him instead Henry, he will fight for her. Catherine fears her fate should she reject Henry and crush his pride, but decides to follow her heart. She convinces Henry that the alliance with Spain will be weakened when Harry becomes king if she is Henry's widow instead of Harry's wife. Henry withdraws his intentions, but states that Catherine and Harry can only marry if the Pope grants a dispensation and if Spain pays the remainder of Catherine's dowry. Maggie Pole's husband dies unexpectedly. *Ep.6 - "A Polite Kidnapping" - June 9, 2019 **'January – April 1506:' Catherine learns that her mother has died, her sister Joanna is queen of Castile, and her father won't pay her dowry. Damage to their ship strands Joanna and her husband Philip in England. Henry, hoping Philip's father, Maximilian I, will turn over Edmund de la Pole, secretly delays repairs to keep Joanna and Philip in England. Maggie Pole is destitute. Lady Beaufort offers assistance to Maggie in exchange for an oath that Arthur and Catherine consummated their marriage. Maggie refuses. In exchange for her dowry, Catherine tells Joanna how she can escape England: Joanna will persuade Maximilian to turn de la Pole over to Henry or lose trade with Castile if Henry takes an oath to spare de la Pole life. The deal is struck, but rather than pay Catherine's dowry, Joanna forms a new alliance with England at the suggestion of Lady Beaufort: betroth Joanna's son Charles to Harry's younger sister, Mary. *Ep.7 - "All is Lost" - June 16, 2019 **'September 1506 - December 1507:' Catherine learns there is to be a double wedding in Spain: Mary to her nephew Charles and Harry to her niece Eleanor. Oviedo proposes to Lina and tells her he is working for Lady Beaufort. Harry is torn between his duty to marry Eleanor and his desire to marry Catherine. Maggie Pole seeks shelter with Catherine and Lina. Catherine's father Ferdinand writes that Joanna's husband Philip has died and Joanna is not fit rule Castile. Ferdinand is guardian to Joanna's children and regent to Castile's heir, Charles. Ferdinand makes Catherine Aragon's ambassador to England and promises her dowry. Catherine's new status allows her and Lina to move back into the palace. Oviedo provides Lady Beaufort with the names of de la Pole's co-conspirators, which now include Maggie. He later protects Maggie's son during a raid. *Ep.8 - "Destiny" - June 23, 2019 **'April 1509 - June 1509:' Henry dies. Harry reaffirms his desire to marry Catherine. Lady Beaufort accuses Edmund Dudley of treason (for her own illegal activities) and he is beheaded. Harry pardons Maggie Pole and her children and they return to court. Lady Beaufort extracts a forced confession from Lina about Catherine's virginity by accusing Oviedo of theft and demanding his hanging. Lina and Oviedo marry before his hanging. Harry and Catherine arrive in time to save Oviedo's life. Harry learns the Pope granted a dispensation sometime before Henry's death. Lady Beaufort dies. On their wedding day, Catherine receives a letter from Ferdinand, stating Harry slept with Joanna. Harry denies it, and Catherine again denies that she slept with Arthur. Part 2 *Ep.9 - "Camelot" - 2020 ** Gallery Princess_Catherine_of_Aragon_(Charlotte_Hope).jpg Prince Harry (Ruairi O’Connor).jpg Stephanie-levi-john-lina-the-spanish-princess-1554386653.jpg Nadia-parkes-rosa-the-spanish-princess-1554386650.jpg Aaron-cobham-oviedo-the-spanish-princess-1554386651.jpg Laura-carmichael-maggie-pole-the-spanish-princess-1554386645.jpg Harriet-walter-margaret-beaufort-the-spanish-princess-1554386648.jpg Queen Isabella.jpg Queen Catherine of Aragon.jpg King Henry VIII of England.jpg Prince Arthur Tudor.jpg Countess Margaret Pole.jpg King Henry VIII.jpg Queen Catherine.jpg Destiny.jpg All is Lost.jpg A Polite Kidnapping.jpg Heart Versus Duty.jpg The Battle for Harry.jpg An Audacious Plan.jpg Fever Dream.jpg The New World.jpg Young Henry VIII.jpg Old Henry VII.jpg King Henry VII.jpg Queen Elizabeth.jpg The-spanish-princess.jpg Spanish-princess.jpg Ruairi-oconnor-prince-harry-charlotte-hope-princess-catherine-the-spanish-princess-1554386652.jpg Alexandra-Moen-Queen-Lizzie-Elliot-Cowan-King-Henry-Tudor-The-Spanish-Princess.jpg Aaron-cobham-oviedo-stephanie-levi-john-lina-the-spanish-princess-1554386647.jpg Production Development On March 15, 2018, it was announced that Starz had greenlit the production. Emma Frost and Matthew Graham were set to serve as showrunners in addition to executive producing alongside Colin Callender, Scott Huff, Charlie Pattinson, and Charlie Hampton. Production companies involved with the series were expected to consist of All3 Media’s New Pictures and Playground. On May 17, 2018, it was reported that the first two episodes of the series would be directed by Birgitte Stærmose and that the subsequent episodes would also be directed by women. It was announced on June 3, 2019, that the series would return for another eight episodes, to be broadcast in 2020, with stars Charlotte Hope and Ruairi O'Connor returning to the show as Catherine and Henry respectively, "along with other key cast". Casting Alongside the directing announcement, it was confirmed that Charlotte Hope, Stephanie Levi-John, Angus Imrie, Harriet Walter, Laura Carmichael, Ruairi O’Connor, Georgie Henley, Elliot Cowan, Alexandra Moen, Philip Cumbus, Nadia Parkes, Aaron Cobham, Alan McKenna, Richard Pepper, Olly Rix, Jordan Renzo, Daniel Cerqueira, and Alicia Borrachero had been cast in the series. Filming Principal photography for the series commenced on May 15, 2018, at Wells Cathedral in Wells, Somerset. Principal photography for part two commenced on September 26, 2019. Release On December 20, 2018, a "first look" still image from the series was released. On January 25, 2019, a teaser trailer for the series was released. On March 7, 2019, the series was given a May 5, 2019 premiere date. Reception Critical response On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 82% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 7.13/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Spanish Princess blends soapy melodrama with beautifully rendered historical set-pieces to paint a rounder -- if still not fully realized -- portrait of an often overlooked queen." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 73 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Category:TV Shows